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By: Express News Service | Kolkata |
February 12, 2021 2:20:59 am
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata. (Express photo by Partha Paul) UNION HOME Minister Amit Shah’s remark on Thursday — that he would come to Bengal again and again to campaign in the run-up to the Assembly polls — evoked a sharp reaction from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “We welcome him,” she said, adding, “All the time, he abuses Bengal. Come to campaign here. Don’t try and threaten me. I am not scared of you. Didi cannot be forced to do anything.”
Hours after Shah called TMC bharastachari (corrupt), Banerjee responded by asking, “From where did your son get so much money? First, you reply to this”.
Addressing a meeting with representatives of the civil society, she said, “The Union Home minister is once again in Bengal and is threatening us. Look at his body language and he expects courtsey from us.” She said, “I would like to ask him to look at Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana and tell us about the law and order situation there. He called me bharastachari. I would like to ask him to prove his allegations or else he should resign immediately.”
“I am ready for the game. I want to see how many goals you can score. Your goondagardi won’t work here. This is Bengal,” she said.
She urged people not to allow the BJP to come to power in West Bengal. “Let Bengal live in peace. The BJP should not be allowed to come to power in the state. I appeal to all to protect the honour of Bengal,” she said at an event in Kolkata.
In an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘andolan jeevi’ jibe, she said, “They (BJP) have looted everything and now they are after the farmers. They are taunting them by using words like ‘andolan jeevi’. I think being ‘andolan jeevi’ is one of the biggest democratic rights of any person. I believe in standing with the downtrodden and oppressed people.”
She said, “His (Shah’s) negative remarks shows that they have realised that they will not be able to make it this time in Bengal in the upcoming polls. I urge the people of Bengal to unite against these evil forces who want to turn Bengal into a disturbed zone.”